Determining domain salience ranking from ambiguous words in natural speech

ABSTRACT

Systems and processes for identifying relevant domains for user inputs that include one or more ambiguous words are disclosed. The ambiguous words include words that may or may not refer to a named entity, such as a song, movie, book, etc. In one example, a textual representation of user speech can be received and processed to identify a candidate named entity. The possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity can be determined and compared to a predetermined set of parts of speech. In response to determining that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity do not include one or more of the predetermined set of parts of speech, a saliency score associated with the candidate named entity can be lowered. A domain for processing the textual representation of user speech can then be identified using the saliency score associated with the candidate named entity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 62/005,906, filed on May 30, 2014, entitled DETERMINING DOMAIN SALIENCE RANKING FROM AMBIGUOUS WORDS IN NATURAL SPEECH, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

This relates generally to natural language processing and, more specifically, to identifying relevant domains for user inputs.

BACKGROUND

Intelligent automated assistants (or virtual assistants) provide an intuitive interface between users and electronic devices. These assistants can allow users to interact with devices or systems using natural language in spoken and/or text forms. For example, a user can access the services of an electronic device by providing a spoken user input in natural language form to a virtual assistant associated with the electronic device. The virtual assistant can perform natural language processing on the spoken user input to infer the user's intent and operationalize the user's intent into tasks. The tasks can then be performed by executing one or more functions of the electronic device, and a relevant output can be returned to the user in natural language form.

A common problem in natural language processing is that user inputs containing frequently used words, such as “it,” “her,” “no,” “yes,” and the like, can be difficult to interpret because those words can be determined to match a large number of potential results. For example, a search query that includes the word “it” can produce a long list of results, many of which are irrelevant, because “it” can be determined to match nearly any searched item. To avoid the problems associated with frequently used words, natural language processing systems typically use a “stop list” to identify words that have been determined to produce a large number of irrelevant results. Any word of a user input that appears in the stop list can be dropped or ignored, and the remaining words of the input can then be processed.

While stop lists can be used to effectively reduce the number of irrelevant results, they can sometimes prevent natural language processing systems from using highly relevant information from the user input. For example, one or more words of a named entity, such as a song having the name “Her,” may also appear as a frequently used word in the stop list. In this example, if a user asks a virtual assistant the question “Who sang Her?”, the virtual assistant would drop the name of the song (“Her”) from the search query, and would be unable provide the user with the desired information.

A similar problem can also occur in virtual assistant systems that categorize information into domains (e.g., categories of information that can represent a subject, genre, area of interest, or the like) to limit the scope of information used to process a user input. In these systems, when a user input is received by the virtual assistant, the user input can be analyzed to identify the domain that is most likely to be relevant to the user input. The user input can then be processed within that domain. If the virtual assistant includes a frequently used word in the domain identification process, the user input can be determined to be related to a large number of irrelevant domains. Alternatively, if a stop list is used to eliminate certain words from the user input, the virtual assistant may be unable to identify the correct domain, and/or may be unable to identify relevant information within a selected domain.

SUMMARY

Systems and processes for operating a virtual assistant on an electronic device are disclosed. One example process can include receiving a textual representation of user speech, identifying a candidate named entity from the textual representation of user speech, wherein the candidate named entity is associated with a saliency score, and determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity. The process can further include determining whether the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises one or more of a predetermined set of parts of speech. In response to determining that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity do not comprise one or more of the predetermined set of parts of speech, the process can include lowering the saliency score associated with the candidate named entity. The process can further include identifying a domain for processing the textual representation of user speech based at least in part on the saliency score associated with the candidate named entity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment in which a virtual assistant can operate according to various examples.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary user device according to various examples.

FIG. 3 illustrates a visual representation of two example domains.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary process for identifying relevant domains for user inputs that can include one or more ambiguous words according to various examples.

FIG. 5 illustrates a functional block diagram of an electronic device configured to identify relevant domains for a user input that can include one or more ambiguous words according to various examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of examples, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which it is shown by way of illustration specific examples that can be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples can be used and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the various examples.

This relates to systems and processes for identifying relevant domains for user inputs that can include one or more ambiguous words. The ambiguous words can include words that may or may not refer to a named entity, such as a song, movie, book, or the like. In one example process, a textual representation of user speech can be received and processed to identify a candidate named entity from the textual representation. The possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity can be determined and compared to a predetermined set of parts of speech. In response to determining that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity do not include one or more of the predetermined set of parts of speech, a saliency score associated with the candidate named entity can be lowered. A domain for processing the textual representation of user speech can then be identified using the saliency score associated with the candidate named entity.

System Overview

FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary system 100 for implementing a virtual assistant according to various examples. The terms “virtual assistant,” “digital assistant,” “intelligent automated assistant,” or “automatic digital assistant” can refer to any information processing system that interprets natural language input in spoken and/or textual form to infer user intent, and performs actions based on the inferred user intent. For example, to act on an inferred user intent, the system can perform one or more of the following: identifying a task flow with steps and parameters designed to accomplish the inferred user intent; inputting specific requirements from the inferred user intent into the task flow; executing the task flow by invoking programs, methods, services, APIs, or the like; and generating output responses to the user in an audible (e.g., speech) and/or visual form.

A virtual assistant can be capable of accepting a user request at least partially in the form of a natural language command, request, statement, narrative, and/or inquiry. Typically, the user request seeks either an informational answer or performance of a task by the virtual assistant. A satisfactory response to the user request can include provision of the requested informational answer, performance of the requested task, or a combination of the two. For example, a user can ask the virtual assistant a question, such as “Where am I right now?” Based on the user's current location, the virtual assistant can answer, “You are in Central Park.” The user can also request the performance of a task, for example, “Please remind me to call Mom at 4 p.m. today.” In response, the virtual assistant can acknowledge the request and then create an appropriate reminder item in the user's electronic schedule. During the performance of a requested task, the virtual assistant can sometimes interact with the user in a continuous dialogue involving multiple exchanges of information over an extended period of time. There are numerous other ways of interacting with a virtual assistant to request information or performance of various tasks. In addition to providing verbal responses and taking programmed actions, the virtual assistant can also provide responses in other visual or audio forms (e.g., as text, alerts, music, videos, animations, etc.).

An example of a virtual assistant is described in Applicants' U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 12/987,982 for “Intelligent Automated Assistant,” filed Jan. 10, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

As shown in FIG. 1, in some examples, a virtual assistant can be implemented according to a client-server model. The virtual assistant can include a client-side portion executed on a user device 102, and a server-side portion executed on a server system 110. User device 102 can include any electronic device, such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, portable media player, desktop computer, laptop computer, PDA, television, television set-top box, wearable electronic device, or the like, and can communicate with server system 110 through one or more networks 108, which can include the Internet, an intranet, or any other wired or wireless public or private network. The client-side portion executed on user device 102 can provide client-side functionalities, such as user-facing input and output processing and communications with server system 110. Server system 110 can provide server-side functionalities for any number of clients residing on a respective user device 102.

Server system 110 can include one or more virtual assistant servers 114 that can include a client-facing I/O interface 122, one or more processing modules 118, data and model storage 120, and an I/O interface to external services 116. The client-facing I/O interface 122 can facilitate the client-facing input and output processing for virtual assistant server 114. The one or more processing modules 118 can utilize data and model storage 120 to determine the user's intent based on natural language input, and perform task execution based on inferred user intent. In some examples, virtual assistant server 114 can communicate with external services 124, such as telephony services, calendar services, information services, messaging services, navigation services, and the like, through network(s) 108 for task completion or information acquisition. The I/O interface to external services 116 can facilitate such communications.

Server system 110 can be implemented on one or more standalone data processing devices or a distributed network of computers. In some examples, server system 110 can employ various virtual devices and/or services of third party service providers (e.g., third-party cloud service providers) to provide the underlying computing resources and/or infrastructure resources of server system 110.

Although the functionality of the virtual assistant is shown in FIG. 1 as including both a client-side portion and a server-side portion, in some examples, the functions of the assistant can be implemented as a standalone application installed on a user device. In addition, the division of functionalities between the client and server portions of the virtual assistant can vary in different examples. For instance, in some examples, the client executed on user device 102 can be a thin-client that provides only user-facing input and output processing functions, and delegates all other functionalities of the virtual assistant to a backend server.

User Device

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a user-device 102 according to various examples. As shown, user device 102 can include a memory interface 202, one or more processors 204, and a peripherals interface 206. The various components in user device 102 can be coupled together by one or more communication buses or signal lines. User device 102 can further include various sensors, subsystems, and peripheral devices that are coupled to the peripherals interface 206. The sensors, subsystems, and peripheral devices gather information and/or facilitate various functionalities of user device 102.

For example, user device 102 can include a motion sensor 210, a light sensor 212, and a proximity sensor 214 coupled to peripherals interface 206 to facilitate orientation, light, and proximity sensing functions. One or more other sensors 216, such as a positioning system (e.g., a GPS receiver), a temperature sensor, a biometric sensor, a gyroscope, a compass, an accelerometer, and the like, are also connected to peripherals interface 206, to facilitate related functionalities.

In some examples, a camera subsystem 220 and an optical sensor 222 can be utilized to facilitate camera functions, such as taking photographs and recording video clips. Communication functions can be facilitated through one or more wired and/or wireless communication subsystems 224, which can include various communication ports, radio frequency receivers and transmitters, and/or optical (e.g., infrared) receivers and transmitters. An audio subsystem 226 can be coupled to speakers 228 and a microphone 230 to facilitate voice-enabled functions, such as voice recognition, voice replication, digital recording, and telephony functions.

In some examples, user device 102 can further include an I/O subsystem 240 coupled to peripherals interface 206. I/O subsystem 240 can include a touch screen controller 242 and/or other input controller(s) 244. Touch-screen controller 242 can be coupled to a touch screen 246. Touch screen 246 and the touch screen controller 242 can, for example, detect contact and movement or break thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensitivity technologies, such as capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, proximity sensor arrays, and the like. Other input controller(s) 244 can be coupled to other input/control devices 248, such as one or more buttons, rocker switches, a thumb-wheel, an infrared port, a USB port, and/or a pointer device such as a stylus.

In some examples, user device 102 can further include a memory interface 202 coupled to memory 250. Memory 250 can include any electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (magnetic), a read-only memory (ROM) (magnetic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) (magnetic), a portable optical disc such as CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, or DVD-RW, or flash memory such as compact flash cards, secured digital cards, USB memory devices, memory sticks, and the like. In some examples, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of memory 250 can be used to store instructions (e.g., for performing some or all of process 400, described below) for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, and execute the instructions. In other examples, the instructions (e.g., for performing process 400, described below) can be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of server system 110, or can be divided between the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of memory 250 and the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of server system 110. In the context of this document, a “non-transitory computer readable storage medium” can be any medium that can contain or store the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

In some examples, the memory 250 can store an operating system 252, a communication module 254, a graphical user interface module 256, a sensor processing module 258, a phone module 260, and applications 262. Operating system 252 can include instructions for handling basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks. Communication module 254 can facilitate communicating with one or more additional devices, one or more computers, and/or one or more servers. Graphical user interface module 256 can facilitate graphic user interface processing. Sensor processing module 258 can facilitate sensor related processing and functions. Phone module 260 can facilitate phone-related processes and functions. Application module 262 can facilitate various functionalities of user applications, such as electronic-messaging, web browsing, media processing, navigation, imaging, and/or other processes and functions.

As described herein, memory 250 can also store client-side virtual assistant instructions (e.g., in a virtual assistant client module 264) and various user data 266 (e.g., user-specific vocabulary data, preference data, and/or other data, such as the user's electronic address book, to-do lists, shopping lists, etc.) to provide the client-side functionalities of the virtual assistant.

In various examples, virtual assistant client module 264 can be capable of accepting voice input (e.g., speech input), text input, touch input, and/or gestural input through various user interfaces (e.g., I/O subsystem 240, audio subsystem 226, or the like) of user device 102. Virtual assistant client module 264 can also be capable of providing output in audio (e.g., speech output), visual, and/or tactile forms. For example, output can be provided as voice, sound, alerts, text messages, menus, graphics, videos, animations, vibrations, and/or combinations of two or more of the above. During operation, virtual assistant client module 264 can communicate with the virtual assistant server using communication subsystem 224.

In some examples, virtual assistant client module 264 can utilize the various sensors, subsystems, and peripheral devices to gather additional information from the surrounding environment of user device 102 to establish a context associated with a user, the current user interaction, and/or the current user input. In some examples, virtual assistant client module 264 can provide the contextual information or a subset thereof with the user input to the virtual assistant server to help infer the user's intent. The virtual assistant can also use the contextual information to determine how to prepare and deliver outputs to the user.

In some examples, the contextual information that accompanies the user input can include sensor information, such as lighting, ambient noise, ambient temperature, images or videos of the surrounding environment, distance to another object, and the like. The contextual information can further include information associated with the physical state of user device 102 (e.g., device orientation, device location, device temperature, power level, speed, acceleration, motion patterns, cellular signal strength, etc.) or the software state of user device 102 (e.g., running processes, installed programs, past and present network activities, background services, error logs, resources usage, etc.). Any of these types of contextual information can be provided to the virtual assistant server 114 as contextual information associated with a user input.

In some examples, virtual assistant client module 264 can selectively provide information (e.g., user data 266) stored on user device 102 in response to requests from the virtual assistant server 114. Virtual assistant client module 264 can also elicit additional input from the user via a natural language dialogue or other user interfaces upon request by virtual assistant server 114. Virtual assistant client module 264 can pass the additional input to virtual assistant server 114 to help virtual assistant server 114 in intent inference and/or fulfillment of the user's intent expressed in the user request.

In various examples, memory 250 can include additional instructions or fewer instructions. Furthermore, various functions of user device 102 can be implemented in hardware and/or in firmware, including in one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits.

Domains

As described in greater detail in Applicants' U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 12/987,982 for “Intelligent Automated Assistant,” filed Jan. 10, 2011, system 100 can implement a virtual assistant using an active ontology to simplify the software engineering and data maintenance of the virtual assistant system. The active ontology can represent an integration of data modeling and execution environments for assistants and can provide a framework to tie together the various sources of models and data (e.g., domain concepts, task flows, vocabulary, language pattern recognizers, dialog context, user personal information, mappings from domain and task requests to external services, and the like).

Within the active ontology, system 100 can categorize information into different domains (e.g., stored in data and model storage 120) that can represent a subject, genre, area of interest, group of similar requests, or the like. The domains can include any type of related information, such as vocabulary, domain entities (e.g., businesses, movies, events, or the like), task flows that can be performed, dialog flows that can be performed, services that can be invoked and that can be referenced by name, category, capability, or any other property, and the like, domain models that include representations of concepts, entities, relations, properties, and instances of a domain, or the like.

To illustrate, FIG. 3 shows a visual representation of domains A and B stored in data and model storage 120. As shown, domain A can represent a movie domain that includes information related to movies, such as movie names, theater schedules, movie reviews, movie facts, videos available for viewing on a user device, actor information, and the like. Domain B, on the other hand, can represent a restaurant domain that includes information related to restaurants, such as food types, restaurant locations, restaurant names, restaurant reviews, reservation systems, menus, and the like.

System 100 can use these domains to limit the scope of information that is used to process a user input by identifying a domain that is relevant to the user input, and processing the user input within that domain. In some examples, system 100 can identify a relevant domain by analyzing the words and/or arrangement of words within the user input. Individual words or a combination of words can be assigned a domain saliency score associated with the possible domains of system 100. The domain saliency score can represent a relationship strength between the word or combination of words and the associated domain, and can be used along with the domain saliency scores of other words or combinations of words in the user input to identify the domain that is most likely relevant to the user input. For example, the user input “What movies are playing in Palo Alto?” can be analyzed to determine the domain saliency scores associated with the words of the user input. The word “movies,” for example, can have a high saliency score with respect to the movie domain, indicating that a sentence or phrase containing this word is very likely to be relevant to the movie domain. The word “movies” can also have other saliency scores with respect to other domains, such as the restaurant domain, music domain, and the like. However, these saliency scores can be lower than that of the movie domain saliency score, since there is less certainty that a sentence or phrase containing the word “movies” is related to those respective domains. Similarly, the word “playing” can also have a saliency score with respect to the movie domain, but its value can be lower than that of “movies” because there is less certainty that a sentence or phrase containing this word is related to the movie domain. A calculation that factors in the saliency scores of some or all of the words of the user input can be performed to determine an overall domain saliency score for the user input with respect to the possible domains. The domain associated with the highest overall saliency score for the user input can be determined to be the appropriate domain for the user input (e.g., the movie domain).

Domain Identification Process

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary process 400 that can be performed to identify relevant domains for user inputs that can include one or more ambiguous words. In some examples, process 400 can be performed using a system similar or identical to system 100, shown in FIG. 1.

At block 402, an audio input including user speech can be received at a user device. In some examples, a user device (e.g., user device 102) can receive audio input that includes a user's speech via a microphone (e.g., microphone 230). The microphone can convert the audio input into an analog or digital representation, and provide the audio data to one or more processors (e.g., processor(s) 204).

At block 404, the user speech of the audio input can be converted into a textual representation of the user speech. The user speech can be converted using any known speech-to-text conversion process. In some examples, the user speech can be converted into the textual representation locally on the user device. In other examples, the user device can transmit the audio input to a remote server (e.g., server system 110) capable of performing the speech-to-text conversion process.

At block 406, the textual representation of user speech can be received, and a candidate named entity can be identified from the textual representation. The candidate named entity can include one or more words that represent a potential named entity, such as the name of a person, place, event, song, movie, or the like. In some examples, the candidate named entity can be identified by comparing the textual representation of the user speech to one or more user request templates (e.g., exemplars or use cases identifying a particular user request to which a virtual assistant is trained to respond) that can include words, variables, entities, operands, search terms, or the like that a virtual assistant can use in performing a corresponding function. For example, one recognized user request template can include “Identify movies that are similar to <MOVIE_NAME>.” The named entity variable <MOVIE_NAME> can indicate that the word or phrase appearing in a user request in that position (e.g., after the words “Identify movies that are similar to”) can be interpreted as the name of a named entity of the type movie. In response to receiving a user input matching this template, the virtual assistant can be trained to perform a search query within the movie domain for movies having a name that matches the word or words corresponding to the <MOVIE_NAME> variable. Similarly, another example user request template can include “Who sang <SONG_NAME>?” The variable <SONG_NAME> can indicate that the word or phrase appearing in a user request in that position (e.g., after the words “Who sang”) can be interpreted as the name of a named entity of the type “song.” In these examples, the textual representation of user speech can be compared to any number of user input templates using, for example, word distance, semantic similarity, or other comparison techniques, to identify a template that is the closest match to the textual representation of user speech. Using the identified template, the candidate named entity can be identified from the textual representation of user speech by identifying the word or phrase located within the textual representation of user speech at the position corresponding to the named entity variable of the template. For example, if the textual representation of user speech includes “Who sang Her?”, a comparison between “Who sang Her?” and one or more of the user request templates can be performed. As a result, it can be determined that the template including “Who sang <SONG_NAME>?” is the closest match to the textual representation of user speech. The candidate named entity can be identified from the textual representation “Who sang Her?” by identifying the word or phrase located at the position corresponding to the named entity variable <SONG_NAME> in the identified template. In this example, the candidate named entity can be determined to be “Her.”

In other examples, a variable match process can be performed to identify the candidate named entity from the textual representation at block 406. The variable match process can use one or more “seed” words to identify candidates from the textual representation that likely represent a named entity. For example, the “seed” word can include a word that commonly precedes a named entity (or has some other known relationship to a named entity within the sentence structure). In this example, the textual representation can be searched to identify the “seed” word, and the text following the seed word can be identified as being a candidate named entity.

While example methods for identifying the candidate named entity from the textual representation are provided above, it should be appreciated that any method for identifying one or more words as potential named entities can be used. For example, a tree data structure can be used to match text tokens to named entities in the textual representation. In other examples, a regular expression process can be used to identify the candidate named entities.

At block 408, the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity identified at block 406 can be determined. For the English language, the possible parts of speech can include a verb, noun, pronoun, proper noun, adverb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, interjection, article, indefinite article, letter, number, or the like. In some examples, the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity can be determined by searching for the candidate named entity in a dictionary or other database that associates words with their possible parts of speech.

In some examples, since a word can have multiple parts of speech depending on how it is used in a sentence or phrase, determining the possible parts of speech that the candidate named entity can include determining all possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity. For example, the word “her” can be classified as both a pronoun and a determiner. Thus, at block 408, determining the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity “Her” can include determining that “Her” can be both a pronoun and a determiner. In these examples, a part of speech tagger may not be required since the exact part of speech need not be determined. This is advantageous as part of speech taggers often identify the incorrect part of speech of a word when the contextual usage of the word is incomplete.

In some examples, the candidate named entity identified at block 406 can include more than one word. In these examples, determining the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity can include identifying the possible parts of speech of one word of the candidate named entity. For example, block 408 can include determining the possible parts of speech of the last word of the candidate named entity. In other examples, the possible parts of speech of other words (e.g., first, middle, etc.) can be determined at block 408. In yet other examples, the possible parts of speech of all words of the candidate named entity can be determined.

At blocks 410, the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity can be compared to a predetermined set of parts of speech to determine if the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity includes one or more parts of speech of the predetermined set of parts of speech. The predetermined set of parts of speech can include any number of parts of speech. In some examples, the predetermined set of parts of speech can include only a noun, proper noun, and unknown, where an unknown can represent a word or phrase that was not recognized in the dictionary or database used at block 408 and/or a word or phrase for which the dictionary or database did not include a part of speech. If it is determined that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity do not include one or more of the parts of speech contained in the predetermined set of parts of speech (suggesting that it may be less likely that the candidate named entity contains a word or phrase that will be helpful in identifying a relevant domain), the process can proceed to block 412. Alternatively, if it is determined that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity include one or more of the parts of speech contained in the predetermined set of parts of speech (suggesting that it may be more likely that the candidate named entity contains a word or phrase that will be helpful in identifying a relevant domain), the process can proceed to block 414 without performing block 412.

To illustrate, continuing with the example candidate named entity “Her” used above, the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity “Her” determined at block 408 can include a pronoun and a determiner. When compared to the predetermined set of parts of speech including a noun, proper noun, and unknown, it can be determined that the possible parts of speech of “Her” do not include one or more of the parts of speech contained in the predetermined set of parts of speech. As a result, a negative determination can be made at block 410 and the process can proceed to block 412. Alternatively, if the candidate named entity identified at block 406, included the word “apple,” it could have been determined at block 408 that the possible parts of speech for “apple” include a noun. When compared to the predetermined set of parts of speech including a noun, proper noun, and unknown, it can be determined that the possible parts of speech of “apple” include a part of speech contained in the predetermined set of parts of speech (e.g., a noun). As a result, a positive determination can be made at block 412, and the process can proceed to block 414.

While the example parts of speech provided above are for the English language, it should be appreciated that the predetermined set of parts of speech can be modified for other languages to operate in a similar manner.

At block 414, a saliency score associated with the candidate named entity can be lowered. As discussed above, individual words or a combination of words can be assigned a domain saliency score associated with one or more of the domains of system 100. The domain saliency score can represent a relationship strength between the word or the combination of words and the associated domain and can be used along with the domain saliency scores of other words or combinations of words in the user input to identify the domain that is most likely relevant to the user input. Since it was determined at block 410 that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity does not include one of the predetermined set of parts of speech (e.g., a noun, proper noun, and known), it is less likely that the candidate named entity contains a word or phrase that can be used to identify a relevant domain. As such, at block 412, the domain saliency score(s) associated with the candidate named entity identified at block 406 can be lowered. This can effectively reduce the impact that the candidate named entity has on the domain identification process performed at block 414.

In some examples, all domain saliency scores associated with the candidate named entity (e.g., all domain saliency scores for the different domains) can be lowered at block 412. For example, all domain saliency scores associated with the candidate named entity can be lowered by the same predetermined amount or to the same predetermined value. Alternatively, the domain saliency scores associated with the candidate named entity can be lowered by different amounts or can be lowered to different predetermined values.

In other examples, only a portion of all domain saliency scores associated with the named entity can be lowered at block 412. For example, all scores of the portion of domain saliency scores associated with the candidate named entity can be lowered by the same predetermined amount or to the same predetermined value. Alternatively, the scores of the portion of domain saliency scores associated with the candidate named entity can be lowered by different amounts or can be lowered to different predetermined values.

At block 414, a domain can be identified for processing the textual representation of user speech. As discussed above, the domain can be identified using active ontology and the saliency score(s) associated with the textual representation of user speech. The saliency score(s) can include the saliency score(s) associated with the candidate named entity and any other saliency scores associated with other words or combinations of words of the textual representation of user speech. If block 412 is performed prior to block 414, the lowered saliency score(s) associated with the candidate named entity can be used to calculate an overall saliency score for the textual representation of user speech for the possible domains. However, if process 400 proceeds from block 410 directly to block 414, the default or unmodified saliency score(s) associated with the candidate named entity can be used to calculate the overall saliency score for the textual representation of user speech for the possible domains. The domain associated with the highest overall saliency score for the textual representation of user speech can be determined to be the appropriate domain for processing the textual representation of user speech.

To illustrate, continuing with the example textual representation of user speech including “Who sang Her?” having the candidate named entity “Her” used above, the saliency score(s) associated with the candidate named entity “Her” may have been lowered at block 412. Thus, at block 414, an overall domain saliency score can be determined for the textual representation of user speech “Who sang Her?” using the lowered saliency score(s). Since the saliency score(s) associated with the candidate named entity “Her” can be relatively low due to the performance of block 412, other saliency scores of other words in the textual representation of user speech can weigh more heavily in the selection of the appropriate domain. For example, the word “sang” can have a high saliency score for the music domain. As a result, it can be determined at block 414 that the domain having the highest overall saliency score for the textual representation of user speech is the music domain.

In another example, if the textual representation of user speech instead included the instruction “send a text message to Jane that I will call her later” having the candidate named entity “her,” the saliency score(s) associated with the candidate named entity “her” may have been lowered at block 412. Thus, at block 414, an overall domain saliency score can be determined for the textual representation of user speech “send a text message to Jane that I will call her later” using the lowered saliency score(s). Since the saliency score(s) associated with the candidate named entity “her” can be relatively low due to the performance of block 412, other saliency scores of other words in the textual representation of user speech can weigh more heavily in the selection of the appropriate domain. For example, the words “text message” can have a high saliency score for the email/SMS domain. As a result, it can be determined at block 414 that the domain having the highest overall saliency score for the textual representation of user speech is the email/SMS domain. In this example, the reduction of the domain saliency score associated with the candidate named entity “her” helped reduce the chance that an incorrect domain (e.g., the music domain) was identified for the user speech since there was a possible named entity match with a song having the name “Her.” If the domain salience was not reduced, a match between the candidate named entity “her” and the song “Her” could have caused the active ontology to incorrectly select the music domain as the appropriate domain for processing the user speech.

While not shown, process 400 can further include processing the textual representation of user speech within the domain identified at block 414 and using the candidate named entity identified at block 406 to infer user intent, identify a task flow with steps and parameters designed to accomplish the inferred user intent, input specific requirements from the inferred user intent into the task flow, execute the task flow by invoking programs, methods, services, APIs, or the like, and generate output responses to the user in an audible (e.g., speech) and/or visual form. The candidate named entity identified at block 406 can be used to process the textual representation of user speech regardless of whether block 412 was performed. For example, continuing with the example textual representation of user speech including “Who sang Her?” having the candidate named entity “Her” used above, the word “Her” can be used to process the user's query. In particular, the textual representation of user speech can be processed to infer that the user wants information about a song named “Her” and the appropriate steps to be taken to obtain and return that information to the user (e.g., by searching for the name “Her” in a movie database). This advantageously allows the system to perform a search within the appropriate domain using a named entity that may or may not include an ambiguous word (e.g., a word that may or may not be the name of a named entity). In contrast, a conventional natural language processing system would have removed the word “Her” from the textual representation, and would have been unable to identify a particular song within the music domain. Alternatively, a conventional natural language processing system would have used the word “Her” to search for an appropriate domain and could have identified many irrelevant domains.

Using process 400, a virtual assistant implemented by a user device can identify relevant domains for user inputs that include ambiguous words, and can do so without identifying numerous irrelevant domains and without discarding useful information from the user input. For example, when the user input includes a named entity having a frequently used word in its name (e.g., “Who sang Her?”), process 400 can reduce the domain saliency of the word “Her” at block 412 (since the possible parts of speech of “Her” do not include a noun, proper noun, or unknown) in order to prevent the inclusion of numerous irrelevant domains. The appropriate music domain can still be identified at block 414 using the domain saliency scores of other words within the user input (e.g., the word “sang”), and the appropriate search term “Her” can still be used to perform a query within the music domain. Additionally, when the user input includes a named entity that does not include a frequently used word (e.g., “Where is the closest theatre?”), process 400 can use the candidate named entity “theatre” to identify the relevant movie domain by leaving the domain saliency of the candidate named entity unaltered (e.g., by forgoing the performance of block 412).

While process 400 is described above for processing a spoken user input, it should be appreciated that it can similarly be used to identify a relevant domain for a text user input. For example, to process a text user input, blocks 402 and 404 may not be performed. Instead, the text user input can be received and blocks 406, 408, 410, 412, and 414 can be performed, as described above, on the text user input.

Additionally, it should be appreciated that the blocks of process 400 can be performed on user device 102, server system 110, or a combination of user device 102 and server system 110. For instance, in some examples, all blocks of process 400 can be performed on user device 102. In other examples, all blocks of process 400 can be performed at server system 110. In yet other examples, some blocks of process 400 can be performed at user device 102, while other blocks of process 400 can be performed at server system 110.

Electronic Device

In accordance with some examples, FIG. 5 shows a functional block diagram of an electronic device 500 configured in accordance with the principles of the various described examples. The functional blocks of the device can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software to carry out the principles of the various described examples. It is understood by persons of skill in the art that the functional blocks described in FIG. 5 can be combined or separated into sub-blocks to implement the principles of the various described examples. Therefore, the description herein optionally supports any possible combination or separation or further definition of the functional blocks described herein.

As shown in FIG. 5, electronic device 500 can include a touch screen display unit 502 configured to display a user interface and to receive touch input, and a sound receiving unit 504 configured to receive sound input. In some examples, electronic device 500 can include a speaker unit 506 configured to generate sound. Electronic device 500 can further include a processing unit 508 coupled to touch screen display unit 502 and sound receiving unit 504 (and, optionally, coupled to speaker unit 506). In some examples, processing unit 508 can include a text receiving unit 510, a named entity identifying unit 512, a part of speech (POS) determining unit 514, a POS comparing unit 516, a saliency score lowering unit 518, a domain identifying unit 520, and an intent determining unit 522.

Processing unit 508 can be configured to receive an audio input (e.g., from audio receiving unit 504) containing user speech. Processing unit 508 can be configured to perform speech-to-text conversion on the audio input to generate a textual representation of user speech. The textual representation of user speech can be received by text receiving unit 510. A candidate named entity can be identified from the textual representation of user speech (e.g., using named entity identifying unit 512). The candidate named entity can be associated with a saliency score. The possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity can be determined (e.g., using POS determining unit 514). The possible parts of speech can be compared to a predetermined set of parts of speech (e.g., using POS comparing unit 516) to determine whether the possible parts of speech include one or more of the predetermined set of parts of speech. In response to determining that the possible parts of speech do not include one or more of the predetermined set of parts of speech, the saliency score associated with the candidate named entity can be lowered (e.g., using saliency score lowering unit 518). A domain for processing the textual representation of user speech can be identified (e.g., using domain identifying unit 520) based at least in part on the saliency score associated with the candidate named entity.

In some examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to identify (e.g., using named entity identifying unit 512) the candidate named entity from the textual representation of user speech by identifying a request template based on the textual representation of user speech, wherein the request template comprises a variable entry for a named entity, and identifying one or more words positioned within the textual representation of user speech at a location corresponding to the variable entry for the named entity, wherein the candidate named entity includes the one or more words.

In some examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to determine (e.g., using POS determining unit 514) the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity by determining all possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity. In some examples, the candidate named entity can include a string of two or more words. In these examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to determine (e.g., using POS determining unit 514) the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity by determining the possible parts of speech of the last word of the string of two or more words. In some examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to determine (e.g., using POS determining unit 514) the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity by searching for the candidate named entity in a dictionary.

In some examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to compare (e.g., using POS comparing unit 516) the possible parts of speech to a predetermined set of parts of speech that consist of a noun, a proper noun, and an unknown part of speech.

In some examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to identify (e.g., using domain identifying unit 520) the domain for processing the textual representation of user speech based on saliency scores associated with other words in the textual representation of user speech.

In some examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to determine (e.g., using intent determining unit 522) a user intent within the identified domain based on the candidate named entity.

In some examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to lower (e.g., using saliency score lowering unit 518) the saliency score associated with the candidate named entity by a predetermined amount. In other examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to lower (e.g., using saliency score lowering unit 518) the saliency score associated with the candidate named entity to a predetermined value. In some examples, the saliency score associated with the candidate named entity includes a saliency score for each of a plurality of domains. In some examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to lower (e.g., using saliency score lowering unit 518) the saliency score for each of the plurality of domains by a predetermined amount. In other examples, processing unit 508 can be configured to lower (e.g., using saliency score lowering unit 518) the saliency score for each of the plurality of domains to a predetermined value.

As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of data available from various sources to improve the delivery to users of invitational content or any other content that may be of interest to them. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, this gathered data can include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, or any other identifying information.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used to deliver targeted content that is of greater interest to the user. Accordingly, use of such personal information data enables calculated control of the delivered content. Further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure.

The present disclosure further contemplates that the entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining personal information data private and secure. For example, personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable uses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimate uses. Further, such collection should occur only after receiving the informed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities would take any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices.

Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates examples in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, in the case of advertisement delivery services, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for services. In another example, users can select not to provide location information for targeted content delivery services. In yet another example, users can select to not provide precise location information, but permit the transfer of location zone information.

Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed examples, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various examples can also be implemented without the need for accessing such personal information data. That is, the various examples of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, content can be selected and delivered to users by inferring preferences based on non-personal information data or a bare minimum amount of personal information, such as the content being requested by the device associated with a user, other non-personal information available to the content delivery services, or publicly available information.

Although examples have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of the various examples as defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for operating a virtual assistant on an electronic device, the method comprising: receiving a textual representation of user speech; identifying a candidate named entity from the textual representation of user speech, wherein the candidate named entity is associated with a plurality of saliency scores, each saliency score of the plurality of saliency scores representing a relationship strength between the candidate named entity and a respective domain of a plurality of domains; determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity; determining whether the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises one or more of a predetermined set of parts of speech; in response to determining that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity do not comprise one or more of the predetermined set of parts of speech, lowering a saliency score of the plurality of saliency scores associated with the candidate named entity; identifying a domain of the plurality of domains for processing the textual representation of user speech based at least in part on the lowered saliency score associated with the candidate named entity; and performing, by the virtual assistant, one or more tasks based on the identified domain to present an output.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the candidate named entity from the textual representation of user speech comprises: identifying a request template based on the textual representation of user speech, wherein the request template comprises a variable entry for a named entity; and identifying one or more words positioned within the textual representation of user speech at a location corresponding to the variable entry for the named entity, wherein the candidate named entity comprises the one or more words.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises determining all possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate named entity comprises a string of two or more words, and wherein determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises determining possible parts of speech of a last word of the string of two or more words.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises searching for the candidate named entity in a dictionary to determine the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined set of parts of speech consists of a noun, a proper noun, and an unknown part of speech.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the domain of the plurality of domains for processing the textual representation of user speech is further based on saliency scores associated with other words in the textual representation of user speech.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a user intent within the identified domain based on the candidate named entity.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein lowering the saliency score of the plurality of saliency scores associated with the candidate named entity comprises lowering the saliency score by a predetermined amount.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein lowering the saliency score of the plurality of saliency scores associated with the candidate named entity comprises lowering the saliency score to a predetermined value.
 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity do not comprise one or more of the predetermined set of parts of speech, lowering each saliency score of the plurality of saliency scores by a predetermined amount.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity do not comprise one or more of the predetermined set of parts of speech, lowering each saliency score of the plurality of saliency scores to a predetermined value.
 13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for: receiving a textual representation of user speech; identifying a candidate named entity from the textual representation of user speech, wherein the candidate named entity is associated with a plurality of saliency scores, each saliency score of the plurality of saliency scores representing a relationship strength between the candidate named entity and a respective domain of a plurality of domains; determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity; determining whether the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises one or more of a predetermined set of parts of speech; in response to determining that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity do not comprise one or more of the predetermined set of parts of speech, lowering a saliency score of the plurality of saliency scores associated with the candidate named entity; identifying a domain of the plurality of domains for processing the textual representation of user speech based at least in part on the lowered saliency score associated with the candidate named entity; and performing, by a virtual assistant on an electronic device, one or more tasks based on the identified domain to present an output.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein identifying the candidate named entity from the textual representation of user speech comprises: identifying a request template based on the textual representation of user speech, wherein the request template comprises a variable entry for a named entity; and identifying one or more words positioned within the textual representation of user speech at a location corresponding to the variable entry for the named entity, wherein the candidate named entity comprises the one or more words.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises determining all possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the candidate named entity comprises a string of two or more words, and wherein determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises determining possible parts of speech of a last word of the string of two or more words.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises searching for the candidate named entity in a dictionary to determine the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity.
 18. A system comprising: an electronic device having: one or more processors; memory; and one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for: receiving a textual representation of user speech; identifying a candidate named entity from the textual representation of user speech, wherein the candidate named entity is associated with a plurality of saliency scores, each saliency score of the plurality of saliency scores representing a relationship strength between the candidate named entity and a respective domain of a plurality of domains; determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity; determining whether the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises one or more of a predetermined set of parts of speech; in response to determining that the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity do not comprise one or more of the predetermined set of parts of speech, lowering a saliency score of the plurality of saliency scores associated with the candidate named entity; identifying a domain of the plurality of domains for processing the textual representation of user speech based at least in part on the lowered saliency score associated with the candidate named entity; and performing, by a virtual assistant on the electronic device, one or more tasks based on the identified domain to present an output.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein identifying the candidate named entity from the textual representation of user speech comprises: identifying a request template based on the textual representation of user speech, wherein the request template comprises a variable entry for a named entity; and identifying one or more words positioned within the textual representation of user speech at a location corresponding to the variable entry for the named entity, wherein the candidate named entity comprises the one or more words.
 20. The system of claim 18, wherein determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises determining all possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity.
 21. The system of claim 18, wherein the candidate named entity comprises a string of two or more words, and wherein determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises determining possible parts of speech of a last word of the string of two or more words.
 22. The system of claim 18, wherein determining possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity comprises searching for the candidate named entity in a dictionary to determine the possible parts of speech of the candidate named entity.
 23. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of domains are domains of an active ontology. 